Sans restaurant or hotel recommendations -- but with plenty of anecdotes and tips -- this is an informative, tell-all book on everything from Mexican slang to dealing with officialdom to buying a hammock. It's an imaginative alternative to the standard guidebook, aimed at low- or mid-budget travelers eager to explore Mexico on their own. Now in its 30th anniversary edition, this famous guide has legions of followers.  (MEX71, $24.95)

Mexico